Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batter N Jagadeesan frames his various jerseys and puts them up on the wall at his home in Coimbatore. His father CJ Narayan, who played cricket for Tata Electric in Mumbai before the family moved to Coimbatore, had left a frame empty for years, reserving it for his son's India jersey. Last month, Jagadeesan fulfilled his father's and his own dream by being part of India's famous Test win at The Oval, though as a reserve player.
"The India jersey is now going into the frame, and I hope that I keep getting a lot more," Jagadeesan tells ESPNcricinfo. "To be part of a match that was so intense and thrilling made it even more special. For us to go and win the game from a situation where a lot [of people] might not have expected us to, it was really special. It was definitely a moment that gave me goosebumps."
Jagadeesan's maiden India call-up was reward for his prolific run over the past two Ranji Trophy seasons. During the period, he had racked up 1490 runs in 26 innings at an average of nearly 65. Only Karun Nair has scored more runs (1553) than Jagadeesan across the previous two Ranji seasons, with the benefit of more innings (33), among batters from the Elite Group.
Jagadeesan has been on the fringes of India A and part of the wider pool of targeted players shortlisted by the BCCI's Centre of Excellence over the past 12 months.
"Definitely, it [being part of the team management's plans] gives you a lot of confidence because you taste success at the next level," he says. "I mean, even playing for my Under-13 district team in Coimbatore, that was also a taste of success, right? Likewise, every time you taste success one step higher, it always gives you a lot of confidence and it also makes you feel grateful to be presented with that opportunity. In a country where there are a billion people, only a few thousands max get to do what I'm doing right now."
Jagadeesan had made an immediate impression on first-class debut, as a 20-year-old, scoring an unbeaten 123 off 204 balls from No. 7 against Madhya Pradesh in Cuttack back in 2016. The journey towards the top, though, has been a long and winding one. Despite scoring runs, there have been periods where Jagadeesan, now 29, has had to face the "axe".
After starting as an understudy to Dinesh Karthik, Jagadeesan is now stepping into Karthik's shoes. He has the gears to bat in different positions like his predecessor and is one of the senior figures in the Tamil Nadu set-up along with captain R Sai Kishore. Fittingly, it was Karthik who introduced his successor to the global audience on Sky Sports commentary when the camera panned to Jagadeesan during the Oval Test.
"The past ten years… I mean ten years has been my senior career. It all started when I was seven-eight years old playing cricket. The ultimate goal is always to play for India," Jagadeesan says. "I've experienced a lot more lows than highs, to be honest. People always talk about the last two seasons, but the other eight seasons there have been more lows than highs.
"I've missed out scoring runs at the time and those were the years when I was learning a lot of stuff and improving my game."
Jagadeesan's personal mentor Robin Uthappa - they connected after being team-mates at Chennai Super Kings - is among those who have helped him ride the lows and stay calm in the face of setbacks.
"Robin has given me more discipline as to how I need to approach each and every session," Jagadeesan says. "Robin has taught me many things and made me calm and feel secure not just as a cricketer but has made me feel secure as an individual and stay in the present. When it comes to batting, Guru sir [AG Guruswamy] and Narasimha [both coaches in Tamil Nadu] have helped me."
With that sense of security and purpose, Jagadeesan gave up his opening spot in the recent TNPL 2025 and slid down the order for Chepauk Super Gillies. Jagadeesan has been a reliable opener in the TNPL for a number of years, but in the previous season, he wanted to try something different, prioritising "impact" in the middle order over a high volume of runs at the top.
"Versatility is something I was keen on," he says. "I feel I had to experience batting in the middle order and before I started playing for Tamil Nadu, I was playing in the middle order in T20s, one-dayers and started the Ranji Trophy in the middle order.
"More than anything, I wanted to make sure I can create an impact for the team. All these years, I've thought of being the highest run-getter, but I think this year my mindset was completely different where I told myself I have to create that impact and in the middle order, where there's not a single situation you can be prepared for. So, I feel I had to work on my power-hitting."
After the TNPL, Jagadeesan returned to the red-ball grind, training with the India team in London and, upon arrival in Chennai, he turned out for his club Vijay CC at the Guru Nanak College ground and kept wicket to Sai Kishore's big-turning deliveries ahead of the Duleep Trophy in Bengaluru. Another bumper domestic season could take Jagadeesan a step closer to a Test debut. "100%, as I said, [playing for India] is the ultimate goal. I also have the goal of winning a Ranji Trophy for Tamil Nadu. But I just feel that things will have to happen as well. Personally, I have to just make sure that I contribute to the team as much as possible."
Jagadeesan is particularly upbeat about Tamil Nadu's chances this season, thanks to their expanding fast-bowling pool. Sandeep Warrier and Gurjapneet Singh, who will team up with Jagadeesan for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy, are back to full fitness, while D Deepesh and RS Ambrish have come in with the experience of having played for India Under-19s in England. Sonu Yadav and rookie A Esakkimuthu, who hit speeds north of 140kph in the TNPL, lend more depth to the seam attack.
"Till now, the result has not come - that is winning the Ranji Trophy - but I know for a fact that we've been putting in the effort towards winning it," Jagadeesan says. "Ranji Trophy is not a single-man show. Fast bowlers are something which we were always in search of.
"Going into this season, we have a healthy competition among the fast bowlers. Earlier we used to have around three fast bowlers. Now, we have six-seven. And that's definitely a very good sign for the team. Tamil Nadu has immense talent. As long as we step onto the field and do our jobs religiously, this will be a team that will go on to achieve a lot of things."